Reviews (The Legacy of Sandor Ferenczi)

“Ferenczi wanted his colleagues and pupils to think and work in their own unique ways and according to their own interests and personality. This is one of the reasons that therapists and analysts of various theoretical origins continue to be drawn to his propositions. Ferenczi was probably the first and perhaps still even the only psychoanalyst who did not speak of training in psychoanalysis, but of learning it according to one’s own rhythms rather than merely following a prescribed course. This important new book illustrates Ferenczi’s unique vision of psychoanalysis and summarizes and expands on the gifts psychoanalysts can find in the abundance of his work. It also offers a glimpse into Ferenczi’s personal history, and how this affected the ways in which he considered human beings, the world, psychoanalysis, and himself.” – Judith Dupont, Ph.D. Editor, The Clinical Diary of Sándor Ferenczi, Literary representative of Sándor Ferenczi, Recipient of the 2013 Sigourney Award

This fine collection of essays, written by clinicians and scholars of diverse backgrounds, honors the memory of Sándor Ferenczi, Sigmund Freud’s closest friend and collaborator, whose groundbreaking contributions to the theory and practice of psychoanalysis were scorned and marginalized by many of his contemporaries. The contributors to this volume have adroitly and sensitively demonstrated the relevance of Ferenczi’s ideas to current trends in psychoanalytic  thinking and are taking a major step toward restoring his legacy to its rightful place in history. – Peter T. Hoffer, Ph. D. Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia; Translator, The Correspondence of Sigmund Freud and Sándor Ferenczi

When “The Legacy of Sándor Ferenczi” appeared in 1993, Ferenczi was often ignored or maligned in psychoanalytic circles. That book was a significant part of the Ferenczi Renaissance – a striking example of the psychoanalytic notion that the past keeps changing. The present volume appears in a different climate – Ferenczi, to our great benefit, returned from exile – and testifies to the continued liveliness of contemporary Ferenczi scholarship by eminent authors around the world, illuminating his life and the development of his stimulating revolutionary ideas. – Emanuel Berman, Ph.D. Israel Psychoanalytic Society